The other days the men attend therapy offsite or visit doctors in an effort to build their sobriety. Stable Recovery partners with an outpatient treatment program that provides classes and therapists and both sides keep in constant communication.
A moro crab dish in sunflower seed green pipián, Thai lime and basil with blue corn tostadas and flowers sits on display at the Quintonil restaurant in Mexico City, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)“They come to visit their families and feel shaken by the flavors that remind them who they are,” the chef said. “It’s like coming back to their roots.”
Providing that experience is what motivated him to open Quintonil 13 years ago. He first thought of his 11-table restaurant as a “fonda,” as Mexicans call popular food venues offering homemade dishes.“I didn’t think I would own a restaurant like Quintonil nor did I aspire to that,” Vallejo said. “What I’ve tried to do is to learn from Mexico and show the best of it.”He took his first job in a place resembling a fonda, where he and his mom used to have lunch. He then studied culinary arts.
Quintonil merchandise sits for sale on a shelf at the restaurant in Mexico City, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)Quintonil merchandise sits for sale on a shelf at the restaurant in Mexico City, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)
For a while, he worked on a cruise line, peeling crabs and coordinating the logistics to feed thousands of clients. Back in Mexico, he met his wife and business partner at Pujol, run by famed chef Enrique Olvera. They founded Quintonil a few years later and their mission has not changed: We’ll tell our country’s tales through food.
“We all have a life story,” Vallejo said. “I try to interpret that and transform it into stories we can share at Quintonil.”Serbia’s Novak Djokovic serves against Mackenzie McDonald of the U.S. during their first round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic serves against Mackenzie McDonald of the U.S. during their first round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova is reflected in a glass as she plays Poland’s Iga Swiatek during their first round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova is reflected in a glass as she plays Poland’s Iga Swiatek during their first round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)France’s Richard Gasquet kicks the clay as he jumps to serve against France’s Terence Atmane, during their first round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)